“In our community and school community, there is a general consensus that we would like the Board to pursue repairs to keep Connaught School open until at least June 2015, or longer,” Cathedral Area parent Kate Smart told the board of education on March 25.

“This position is supported by the Cathedral Area Community Association, by Save our Connaught, by several members of the Cathedral Village Business Association, by every single person I’ve spoken to in my neighbourhood, and by the vast majority of the Connaught School community who attended the Feb. 25 meeting in the Connaught Gym.

A possible decision to close Connaught School may be based on incomplete and contradictory information, according to a specialist in building conservation.

June Botkin of Botkin Historic Building Conservators has been reviewing a series of engineering assessments of the school, and sharing them with specialists across North America and internationally. She will present some preliminary observations to the school board tonight.

Regina’s public school division has served notice that a request for copies of documents and correspondence related to Connaught School of the past year will cost more than $2,400 in processing fees and will be heavily redacted. (more…)

Davin School, built in 1929, is on the city’s heritage holding bylaw list, a good place to start for seeking provincial heritage status.

Connaught was centre stage at last night’s school board meeting, after trustee Aleana Young once again put forward her recommendation to NOT pursue heritage status for Regina’s oldest public school. Trustees Carla Beck and Kathleen O’Reilly spoke in favour of heritage designation, arguing it would cost the board nothing, while buying community good will and opening up new partnership opportunities for school renewal.